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 Pests, diseases and disorders of animals

Leptospirosis in pigs
Leptospirosis can be a serious reproductive disease of pigs that can also cause major (non-reproductive)
illness in humans.

It causes abortion, stillborn and weak piglets, and deaths soon after birth.

Vaccination is strongly recommended.

Treated, recovered animals are a source of infection.

A strict program based on vaccination and medication will eradicate the disease.

Cause
The disease is caused by Leptospira bacteria.

In Australia there are 4 types, or serovars, of the bacteria.

Serovar Pomona causes abortions, foetal deaths, premature farrowings, stillbirths and the birth of feeble
piglets, which grow poorly or do not survive. Serovar Bratislava is linked to stillbirths. It's not certain if
reproductive problems are caused by another common serovar, Hurstbridge. Serovar tarrosovi is rare in
Australian pigs compared to the other 3, but as with Pomona and Hurstbridge, it presents a risk to human
health.

Life cycle
Non-immune pigs become infected when bacteria enter their bodies through the mouth, nose, or eyes or
through breaks in the skin.

The bacteria multiply in the kidney and are then shed in the urine at rates of up to 1 billion per litre.

Peak infection occurs in pigs 12-16 weeks old.

Affected animals
pigs

Clinical signs
Infected pigs are seldom visibly ill, and the only clear signs may be:
loss of appetite
 listlessness
mild diarrhoea (scour) lasting a couple of days.

Diagnosis
Leptospirosis can only be positively diagnosed at a laboratory by identifying the bacteria in urine, aborted
foetuses, newborn piglets, or in the kidneys.

High antibody levels in the blood indicate infection.

Moderately high antibody levels may be detected for a few weeks after vaccination.

Chronic leptospirosis is the major cause of kidney inflammation, which produces small, pale lesions on the
kidneys. These lesions can be seen at slaughter, and are routinely recorded by Australia's pig health monitoring
services.

Note: The presence or absence of these spots is not diagnostic, as they could have other causes and some
types of leptospires do not cause kidney spots.

Impacts

Pigs
Causes infected pregnant sows to abort or produce stillborn or weak pigs that often die soon after birth.

Abortions:
generally occur in the last 3 weeks of pregnancy
may be as early as day 16 of pregnancy in susceptible pigs that have received a massive dose of
bacteria.

It's impossible to precisely predict financial losses because disease outbreaks vary considerably.

In an outbreak of a 50-sow herd, it's realistic to expect:

10 sows to abort
5 sows to wean only 5 piglets
a total loss of about 110 piglets.

Humans
Unvaccinated carrier pigs present a serious health risk to:
piggery and abattoir staff
transport drivers.

Human infection may cause:

prolonged and severe symptoms similar to those of flu
ongoing fatigue and joint soreness
severe complications such as kidney failure.

People working with pigs should avoid pig urine and afterbirth making contact with their eyes, nose and mouth,
or any open wound.

Use personal protection equipment (PPE):

 when handling afterbirth, aborted foetuses and membranes
with assisted matings and artificial inseminations.

How it is spread
Usually introduced into non-infected piggeries in the urine of carrier pigs
Sometimes introduced by rodents
Cattle or horses can infect pigs housed outside if their paddocks drain into those where the pigs are kept
Outbreaks are more serious
in herds with poorly drained paddocks
where sows lie in pools of urine
where sows are group housed with open drains (drying kills the bacteria).

Control

Management
To manage the disease you should:
vaccinate and medicate new stock
control rats and mice
reduce pig access to cattle or horse paddocks, or areas where paddocks may drain
avoid contact between pigs and dogs or cats
avoid open drains and communal drinking troughs to limit the spread between pens
limit mixing pigs
maintain pens to prevent bacteria entry to wounds
stop urine from pooling on pitted floors.

Vaccination
Vaccination is strongly advised, even in herds with no sign of the disease, as the disease can be introduced at
any time.

Vaccination alone will not eliminate the organism and must be ongoing.

The vaccine is 'killed' so there's no danger of farmers contracting the disease from the vaccine.

When to vaccinate
Under normal circumstances, vaccinate the breeding herd twice a year. In some circumstances
weaners also need to be vaccinated
Give every animal an initial dose with a follow-up injection 4-6 weeks later
Follow-up with booster doses every 6 months to maintain immunity
Ensure that gilts receive 2 injections 4-6 weeks apart when they enter the breeding herd
Manufacturers suggest that sows should be vaccinated before farrowing. However, don't inject sows due
to farrow within a few days, and those suckling very young litters
If the disease is widespread in the growing herd, give 2 vaccinations between 8-12 weeks, followed by
in-feed tetracyclines.
Vaccination dose and method
Follow the manufacturer's recommended vaccination procedures.

Dose for breeding pigs is generally 2ml, given under the skin (subcutaneously).

Inject pigs in the neck region, close to the base of the ear. Breeding stock can be injected at any clean and
convenient site. Swellings often occur at the site of injection. These will subside over a few months.

Benefits of vaccinating whole herds

Vaccinating whole herds twice a year gives satisfactory protection and has the following advantages:
easier to ensure that all breeding pigs are injected
less vaccine is wasted (at the end of a vaccination session partially used bottles should be discarded)
less time is spent vaccinating each animal when automatic or semi-automatic syringes and flexible
needle extension tubes are used
breeders can be vaccinated against erysipelas, parvovirus and E. coli at the same time, with the same
injection

The Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals – Pigs third edition CSIRO 2008 states that vaccinations or
other health treatments must be administered to pigs only by persons competent in the procedure or by a
person under the supervision of a competent person. Contact your veterinarian for advice.

Treatment
A single dose of streptomycin at 25mg/kg of body weight kills leptospires in most pigs. It is recommended,
together with vaccination, for incoming breeders, even if they seem healthy.

A more practical and effective alternative for wider treatment is in-feed medication with tetracyclines
(800g/tonne) for 10-14 days.

Contact your veterinarian for more advice and information.

Further information
Find information on leptospirosis in other animals (https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/farms-
fishing-forestry/agriculture/livestock/animal-welfare/pests-diseases-disorders/leptospirosis)
Read more about leptospirosis in humans
(http://conditions.health.qld.gov.au/HealthCondition/condition/14/33/88/Leptospirosis)

Last reviewed: 29 Nov 2018

Last updated: 25 Jun 2021

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